Forks of the Ohio
Sergeant
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2019
Just to offer another view - we have already discussed the "tension" that existed between Mary Lincoln and Julia Grant. My first thought was perhaps this was Mary Lincoln's idea and she asked her husband for this favor, just to make Julia's life difficult and to prove to her that in the end Mary was powerful than she was. We know the two ladies had some words less than a month to this.
I found this interesting "tidbit" from Carl Sandburg's "Abraham Lincoln" - regarding the evening of April 14th and perhaps why the Grant's did not want to attend (of Julia) - - -
"But Mrs. Lincoln had set her heart (on attending the theater), and she invited General and Mrs. Grant. And General Grant accepted, the newspapers were announcing.
Grant however had changed his mind. Mrs. Grant, in all probability, had told the General that the more she thought about it, the more it seemed impossible that she could endure an evening with the unfortunate woman she had last seen in such outbursts of temper and rages of jealousy at City Point. The General himself, anyone who knew him would testify, could see no fun in such a social evening."
Clearly - two women that did not particularly care for each other.
I read part of Mrs. Grant’s memoirs. The Lincolns returned to City Point after Richmond fell. Mrs. Lincoln organized a sightseeing trip to Richmond but didn’t invite Mrs. Grant. Then Mrs. Lincoln planned an evening party but didn’t invite Mrs. Grant. Mrs. Grant planned her own sightseeing trip AND she took the only available military band along with her on her excursion. So the Lincolns had no band for their party that night. When Mrs. Grant’s boat returned from her trip, the boat sailed down the river past the Lincolns’ boat (the party was in full swing at that time) and Julia had the band play the song, “Now you’ll remember me.” Julia admitted in her memoirs that she did this. She regretted that she never saw President Lincoln again prior to his death later that month.
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